


A Journey Through the Storm

by ellie_effie



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Book: Dragon Age - Tevinter Nights, Dragon Age Lore, Multi, POV Multiple, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Spoilers, Weisshaupt Fortress (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28809612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellie_effie/pseuds/ellie_effie
Summary: Yondi'nne Lavellan and Nylunfar Surana come together to deal with the Fen'Harel problem that now threatens Thedas.Notes:-This work will contain fan canons and head canons, I will try to point them out in the notes as much as possible-New tags will be added as the work is updated, but any major content warnings will be explicited before each chapter
Relationships: Zevran Arainai/Female Surana
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	A Journey Through the Storm

**လ NYLUNFAR လ**

**“She is here, Commander”, one of the recruits informed in a grave tone.**

**Nylunfar Surana, Warden Commander and Hero of Ferelden, was looking out the tall glass doors to the balcony in the large War Room of Weisshaupt. The orange glow of the sunset crept through the tall windows, covered by curtains that billowed in the wind. The schist tiles on the floor had been swept clean, as Nylunfar had requested.**

**The silver griffon statue by the table had been polished so thoroughly that Nylunfar could even see her reflection on it. And she wasn’t displeased with what she saw, to be honest. Her raven hair was carefully brushed back, long enough to reach her waist, and she had it neatly pulled back from her face with a crimson ribbon. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth were still there, but there wasn’t much she could do about them. The darkened veins on her face, however, were a harsh contrast against her pale skin. No matter how carefully she concealed them with a powder she had imported from Orlais, they were still visible at a short distance. Her Grey Warden uniform was spotless for a chance and she even had had her crow feather pauldrons oiled so they would shine.**

**The recruit was still standing by the door, waiting for her reply.**

**“Go and fetch her already”, Nylunfar barked and the man scurried off. She squared her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her back, standing in the middle of the room.**

**“You be nice to her, amore”, a suave, calm voice came from the dark corner of the room. The lean elf stepped out of the shadow, with a sensual smirk that made the tattoo on his face twist, and sauntered over to lean against the table.**

**Nylunfar scoffed. “Zevran, you know I hate that word. _Nice._ Like it’s ever gotten anyone anything.”**

**“But it might get you an ally, and that’s not something that comes easily these days”, he continued while picking some grapes from the plate. “Especially one as interesting as this one.”**

**“We will see about that…”, she mumbled under her breath.**

**Zevran chuckled and kissed her forehead, and for one brief second Nylunfar held his arm firmly. With his lips against her temple, he smiled and said “I will be in our chambers when you’re done.”**

**Before Nylunfar had a chance to reply, he took swift steps and left through the back door. It only took a few minutes until the door opened and the recruit from earlier stepped inside and announced her guest.**

**The tiny elf that walked through the door after him was nothing like what Nylunfar was expecting: cladded in simple travel clothes, with her auburn hair tied up in a bun on top of head and blue grey eyes that wrinkled as she smiled. Even the scar on the left side of her mouth was odd, weren’t the Dalish supposed to be masters of healing magic? Couldn’t she have avoided such a blemish on her face?**

**Although, speaking of wounds, it was impossible not to notice her missing left arm. Nylunfar also assumed that a woman like her would wear a prosthetic. If not for vanity, at least for discretion. But she seemed to show it proudly, with one sleeve reaching her wrist and the other sewn shut right above the elbow.**

**As the woman approached Nylunfar and bowed her head, the Warden noticed how she was trembling. The day wasn’t particularly cold, so it was… nerves that were making her tremble.**

**Nylunfar noticed how her lips pursed as she thought: _This woman commanded armies, walked the Fade, saved an empress… And she is the one who’s nervous? No wonder we find ourselves in this situation._ **

**“Warden-Commander Surana!”, the elf spoke. Her head was still bowed to Nylunfar but her voice filled the great hall. “It is a great honour to meet you, Ser.” When she raised her head, her smile took Nylunfar’s breath away for a second. It was an honest, open smile, with no trace of the bitterness she expected a woman in her position to have.**

**Without faltering, Nylunfar ducked her head with a half-smile. “The honour is mine. Lady Inquisitor Lavellan.”**

**လ YONDI’NNE လ**

**The journey to Weisshaupt hadn’t been an easy one, but Yondi’nne made it in record time. Her poor hart was panting when they crossed the main gates and was clearly relieved when she led him straight to a watering trough as soon as she dismounted in the main courtyard.**

**“I’m sorry for rushing you here, Alas!”, she spoke in Elven while patting the animal’s thick neck. She lowered her voice in case there was anyone around them that could hear her. “But we’re here! And I’m finally going to meet her. I’m going to meet the Hero of Ferelden!”**

**Yondi’nne could hear her voice getting high with excitement and she tried to control herself: the last thing she wanted was to come off as a giddy little child in front of the elf who had saved Thedas from the last Blight.**

**Looking around the courtyard, she noticed how the Wardens were keeping a close eye on her. It wasn’t threatening and she was, after all, in their fortress. And what an impressive fortress that was! Tall griffon statues had been carved into every tower and, looking from the outside, it seemed like a sturdy fortification. Clearly, large parts of it had been built years or perhaps centuries after the others. Yondi’nne imagined athat the inside of the castle would be a labyrinthian fasthold. She was so impressed with the building that she almost failed to notice the young man that approached her with a short bow.**

**“Lady Lavellan, I’m taking you to see the Warden Commander now. Please follow me closely, messere”, the man spoke quickly and turned on his heels to enter the castle.**

**It took Yondi’nne a few seconds to realise what was happening, and she sprang behind the man as quickly as she could.**

**“Right now?”, she asked as they entered through what appeared to be the kitchens of the castle. “I thought that I would have at least a few minutes to freshen up for the trip before…”**

**“The Commander’s time is precious, messere, and she would like to hold your audience presently”, the man cut in. “Please, stay close.”**

**_Where else would I go?,_ Yondi'nne thought as they entered a very narrow corridor that ended at an even narrower staircase. They were taking what appeared to be the servant’s stairs and going up to one of the towers. Yondi’nne was trying to dust off her clothes and fix her hair to look at least presentable, but it was significantly harder with only one hand and while rushing up a flight of stairs.**

**The man suddenly turned left and opened a door to a carpeted vestibule that had a massive oak door at the end. Before opening the door, he stopped and turned to Yondi’nne.**

**“We will ask you to leave your staff by the door.”**

**Yondi’nne nodded and gently placed her staff against the wall, trying to pretend she wasn’t shaking. When the man opened the door and announced her name, her legs made her walk into the room but she still froze when she saw the Commander.**

**Nylunfar Surana was standing in the middle of the room with her shoulders squared and chin held high. The Hero of Ferelden was even more impressive than Yondi’nne had imagined: a tall elf with alabaster skin and chiseled face.**

**Yondi’nne felt that she was smiling like an idiot. Luckly, all the years under Josephine’s tutelage had prepared her for an occasion such as this, and she quickly bowed and greeted the Commander appropriately. She almost had to convince herself that Nylunfar was actually speaking to her when she greeted Yondi’nne by her former title.**

**လ NYLUNFAR လ**

**Yondi’nne’s smile widened before she answered. “Oh, you don’t need to call me by that title”, she said with a wave of her right hand, “I’m not the Inquisitor anymore.”**

**“So I’ve heard.” Yondi’nne didn’t seem to notice the sharpness of her words, so Nylunfar gestured to the man sitting on the table.**

**The Commander stepped to her side and pointed to the table, Lavellan took a seat in the middle and ran her fingers on the mahogany table. A map of Thedas was beautifully carved into the wood, from Par Vollen to the tundras in the South. Nylunfar noticed how Yondi’nne’s fingers stopped when they touched the Frostback Mountains and how she tapped lovingly on them.**

**“This is beautiful!”, Yondi’nne said reverently.**

**“It truly is, isn't it?”, Nylunfar answered, coming closer to the table to admire the work. “It was made by an artisan in Rivain as a gift, since I don’t have my own hall to put it, I thought it would suit the Warden’s fortress.”**

**Yondi’nne nodded, still looking at the table. “We used to have a large oak table in Skyhold, but the map was an old parchment one.” She giggled and Nylunfar was almost startled by the sound. “We would stick a knife on the map whenever we finished any important mission, as a way to celebrate. It was silly, but we had fun with it!”**

**Nylunfar thought how the last words she would associate with any mission she had participated in the last decade were _silly_ or _fun_. But she tried to keep it light and all she could think to say was: “Well, if you try to stick a knife in this table, I’m afraid I will have to freeze you in place before your fingers reach the pommel of your blade.”**

**To Nylunfar’s surprise, Yondi’nne actually laughed at the comment. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare, Commander! Not on something as gorgeous as this.”**

**Nylunfar took a seat at one side of the table and Yondi’nne followed suit, sitting right across from her. Her smile hadn’t faded since she walked in, so Nylunfar cleared her throat and began: “So! When Divine Victoria arranged for us to meet, she stressed that you, Lavellan, would be asking for my aid in some urgent matter.”**

**That seemed to bring Yondi’nne back to reality as she blinked fast and straightened her back. “Yes, I do.” She lifted her chin and spoke in a clear voice: “Commander, I come to ask for your help with a pressing issue that threatens all Thedas.”**

**“The Fen’Harel problem, you mean”, Nylunfar interrupted calmly.**

**It had clearly taken Yondi’nne by surprise, as the smile was wiped from her face and her mouth wente agape. “Have you been informed of what is happening?”**

**Nylunfar nodded. “I have been receiving reports since before the Exalted Council. Some Wardens have had the most peculiar encounters in the last few months. Leliana and I have been keeping tabs on these large groups of elves fleeing for the forests, and my personal spy network has kept me informed of the qunari activities.”**

**Yondi’nne leaned forward in her seat, now with a concerned frown. “And why haven’t you done anything about it?”**

**_It’s not your turn to ask questions!_ , Nylunfar thought angrily, but kept her expression neutral and simply shrugged. “The Wardens don’t interfere in external politics, Inquisitor.” **

**Yondi’nne was clearly not satisfied by her answer, but she pursed her lips and inhaled deeply. “We need your help, Commander. I’m afraid we’re going to face a devastating war in the years to come. One that justifies me coming here to ask the Wardens to forgo their neutrality and join forces with us.”**

**Nylunfar licked her lips and smiled wickedly at Yondi’nne, whose eyes widened as the Commander spoke.**

**“Yes. We find ourselves in a very dire situation, wouldn’t you agree? Because if you walk into a hall and ask which one is, what did you call it, the most,” Nylynfar spoke the words slowly and carefully, “ _pressing issue Thedas faces…_ you could get a myriad of different answers.” **

**She deliberately gave a grave chuckle as Yondi’nne’s frown deepened.**

**“You see… What is the most pressing issue in Thedas, really? Is it the constant animosity between Ferelden and Orlais? Or the one between mages and Templars? Both admittedly fueled by the Inquisition’s very existence”, Nylunfar serenely said, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on them while looking at Yondi’nne.**

**“The Inquisition”, Yondi’nne began after a baffled silence, “didn’t create the conflicts between Orlais and Ferelden, nor the strife between mages and Templars.”**

**“No, but your now disbanded organisation did very little to placate them”, Nylunfar said with an eyebrow raised.**

**“We saved them all”, Yondi’nne said, exasperated.**

**Nylunfar ducked her head incredulously and Yondi’nne’s mouth went agape. The Inquisitor was finally succumbing to her provocations. _Good!_ , Nylunfar thought. Before she accepted the alliance Lavellan was so kindly and diplomatically asking for, she needed to know what kind of woman she was and, most importantly, what kind of leader she had been. How could she have allowed the situation to escalate up to that point? Had it been naivety? Poor counselling? **

**“So now let us talk about the problems your Inquisition did create then. The qunari invasion”, Nylunfar continued. “If we had been able to secure an alliance with them, I hardly think they would pose such a big threat as they do now. And why do we not have this alliance? Because _you_ thought the lives of a half a dozen of your allies was more important.”**

**Yondi’nne huffed in disbelief. “You weren’t there, you have no way of knowing this… You didn’t see what the qunari had planned with the Dragon’s Breath, which we stopped from happening!”, Yondi’nne was practically yelling, but Nylunfar gave her a wicked smile in return.**

**“You stopped them, yes. But you had considerable help, did you not?”, Nylunfar said slowly, watching Yondi’nne’s face tense up. “From the other great issue that the Inquisition created, the one you’re asking for help with right now.”**

**Yondi’nne leaned back against her chair, squinting at the Commander. A moment of silence passed as Nylunfar waited for the other woman’s reaction. When she remained silent, Nylunfar decided to take a risk to try and finally push her over the edge.**

**“Fen’Harel nurtured the Inquisition to serve his own purposes, that much is abundantly clear. He provided knowledge, a fortress, some beautiful art for your walls as I’ve been told.” Tears glimmered on the edges of Yondi’nne’s eyes, but she blinked fiercely and remained silent. “And all those years, he had you and your mighty organisation wrapped around his little finger. How could you not have noticed the danger you were harboring? Is he really that good of a trickster?”, Nylunfar lowered her voice and leaned forward, “Or was the former Dalish First so in love that she failed to catch the Dread Wolf’s scent?”**

**Yondi’nne stared at the table top for long minutes, her arm crossed over chest, clutching her left shoulder. Nylunfar was beginning to feel disappointed. If the Inquisitor couldn’t handle being pressed for a few minutes without breaking down, then she wasn’t the ally she needed and she would have to find another way to get what she wanted.**

**Nylunfar was almost prepared to leave when Yondi’nne’s voice codly cut in: “And where were you during all this, Commander?” Yondi’nne raised her head and met the other woman’s eyes, defiant. “We’ve asked for your help before. The Inquisition did, I mean. All we got was a letter”, Yondi’nne snarled.**

**“And do you remember what I wrote in that letter?”, Nylunfar asked calmly.**

**“Oh, I do! You said you knew nothing about Corypheus, even though he was imprisoned by your order and freed by another Warden. And, speaking of which, the Wardens.” Yondi’nne counted the problems she mentioned in her fingers: “First, there was the false Calling, which neither you or your Order investigated. Then, there was the attempt to wake the last two Archdemons.”**

**Nylunfar held back a snarky comment. How many fine members of the order had they lost to Clarel’s folly? Desperate people had been led to desperate measures before, but never so openly and never under her command. And perhaps there was some truth to Lavellan’s words: had she been there, what would the Hero of Ferelden done to help?**

**But this was not the time nor the moment to consider such things, not in front of the Inquisitor.**

**“However, may I say”, Nylunfar said raising one finger, “no orders were ever issued. That group was acting on its own with no support or commanding from the order.”**

**Yondi’nne smiled again, but this time it was a sardonic curl on the corners of her mouth. “Oh, I’m sure of it. Because I can’t imagine the Wardens ever supporting a whole demon army, would they? One that _the Inquisition_ stopped, the same _Inquisition_ that later took in the Wardens as our allies.”**

**Nylunfar had meant to thank the Inquisitor for saving her soldiers at Adamant. She read the reports of how she fought demons and what was then thought to be an Archdemon to save the Wardens, and how later she took them all in and kept them under the protection of the Inquisition.**

**But Nylunfar wasn’t able to find the right words at that moment, so she turned her head to the side and remained silent. Perhaps her initial judgement of the Inquisitor was right: perhaps Yondi’nne was truly a wise and brave woman, who had seen everything she had worked so hard and sacrificed to build, simply slip out of her control. And Nylunfar understood how much it hurt to realise too late that a sacrifice hadn’t been worth the boon given afterwards, she concluded bitterly as she ran a finger over a darkened and twisted vein on the back of her other hand.**

**“The first thing Leliana ever told me about you”, Yondi’nne continued and Nylunfar quickly turned to face her again, “was how you are one of her dearest friends, how she still writes you for advice. I really can’t see why”, Yondi’nne said slowly and Nylunfar squinted angrily at her: now the Inquisitor was taking it too far. “Where were you when your friend was made the Divine?”**

**“I don’t think my personal relationship with my friend is any of your concern”, Nylunfar began but Yondi’nne paid no attention and leaned forward and placed her hand on the table.**

**“Let me tell you something I found at the Winter Palace during the Exalted Council: a letter from King Alistair, with the saddest little doodle of himself being crushed by the crown on his head.” Nylunfar’s lower lip quivered, both with anger and sadness, but she bit it before Yondi’nne could notice it. “The man has claimed his rightful place at the throne and yet he is miserable. And I wonder… Who was it again that pushed the Landsmeet to make him King all those years ago?”, Yondi’nne asked sarcastically.**

**Nylunfar looked away, watching as torches around the War Room magically lit up after the sun had set. A thought sprung in her mind, like a blow on a fresh wound: Alistair had never visited Weisshaupt. He had never seen their most famous fortress, he had never walked these historical halls. She could perfectly see him pointing up at the griffon statues, wide eyed and giggling like a kid.**

**Alistair would have loved it here, perhaps he would even have been happy**

**“I did what I had to do”, Nylunfar replied between gritted teeth.**

**“Oh, I’m sure you did!” Yondi’nne was raising her voice at her, but the Commander refused to justify her actions to this woman she barely knew. Nylunfar balled her hands into fists and pressed her fingernails against her palm to calm herself.**

**Yondi’nne continued: “But you know what _I_ had to do? I had to be there for Morrigan after her mother almost kidnapped Kieran.”**

**Nylunfar’s eyes widened in terror: Flemeth had done what? Before she had time to think, Yondi’nne scoffed and shook her head at her.**

**“You didn’t even know?”, she spat, “You didn’t even know that your so called dearest friend and the boy you call your nephew almost got taken into the Fade by the same woman you were supposed to have killed?”**

**“It’s not… that simple...”, Nylunfar mumbled, lost for words. How did this woman know so much? How had she gathered so much personal information about her, Nylunfar? And how dare her throw it all in her face like that? How dare her presume she knew Nylunfar’s story?**

**“They are fine, by the way”, Yondi’nne continued. “Morrigan and Kieran. They left Skyhold soon after we defeated Corypheus, and Flemeth had promised to leave him alone. But I don’t suppose that you care about that--”**

**“That is enough!” Nylunfar vociferated, standing from her chair and banging her fists on the table. Having finally reached the end of her tether, she raised a finger at the Inquisitor. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Inquisitor.”**

**Yondi’nne shook her head in disbelief and looked into Nylunfar’s eyes. “And neither do you, Commander.”**

**“Whatever we did wrong, whatever _I_ did wrong… I did it with all the knowledge I had at that moment. And I did it thinking about what would be best for everyone.”**

**So there it was. Now it was clear to Nylunfar why that woman had been appointed the Inquisitor of Thedas. She hadn’t failed the mission that had been appointed to her and she hadn’t blindly put her infatuation over her duty. She had probably played all her cards right, it just so happened that her adversary knew the game better than she did.**

**Yondi’nne stood up and, without taking her eyes off of Nylunfar’s, took a deep breath to regain some of her composure. “I’m sorry for taking up your time, Commander. I will take my leave.”**

**Yondi’nne crossed the room in swift steps and it wasn’t until she was sure that the Inquisitor truly was intent on leaving, that Nylunfar shouted at her: “Who said I wasn’t going to help you, Inquisitor?”**

**She halted and turned on her heels to face her with an incredulous expression. “You are?”**

**Nylunfar sat back on her chair with a calm and collected demeanour. “The Wardens will remain a neutral party in appearance only, and I will personally accompany you in your travels and offer whatever help I can give to gain allies to your cause. But first!” Nylunfar gestured to the empty chair across from her. “We must have all the information at our disposal, wouldn’t you agree?”**

**Reluctantly, Yondi’nne sat back on the chair, her brows furrowed and her mouth agape. Nylunfar took a quill and piece of parchment from a drawer and set up to write.**

**“Now, I do know some of the stories. From books that I’ve studied, from that odd book that Thetras wrote about the Inquisition, from other Wardens’s reports… But I do believe that hearing it all from you might help me fill in some of the gaps, so we can set up a course of action and decide where, or to whom, we go from here. Would that be alright?”**

**“Why?”, she heard the Inquisitor ask in a whisper and lifted her head to find Yondi’nne was blinking dumbly at her.**

**Nylunfar scoffed. “Because we’re dealing with someone who is cunning and had outsmarted us all once, so we need to prove to whoever we should ask to help us to--”**

**Yondi’nne shook her hand in front of Nylunfar and cut in, speaking more firmly than before: “That wasn’t what I meant.” She still looked suspicious of her, Nylunfar noted. “Why are you helping us? Why now?”**

**With a heavy sigh, Nylunfar clasped her fingers together over the parchment. “Because Fen’Harel has something I want.” That made Yondi’nne sit up in her chair. “Something that your author friend found in the Deep Roads years ago, an instrument that the Dread Wolf has been using in his attempt to bring down the Veil.”**

**That didn’t assuage Yondi’nne’s fears, Nylunfar could tell by the way she clenched her fist and pursed her lips. “Why do you want that thing? What are you going to do with it?”**

**Nylunfar couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the Inquisitor. It perhaps sounded too familiar for her: an ally who wanted to help her bring down their common enemy because they were in fact interested in an object that said enemy had.**

**“In that letter I sent you years ago”, Nylunfar began calmly, “do you remember that I told you I was trying to find a cure for the taint? That idol is pure Blight magic: if I can understand how it was made, then maybe I can put a stop to it.”**

**Yondi’nne shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but before she could say anything, Nylunfar raised her hand in a tranquilizing gesture: “I have secured a proper vault in Orzammar where it will be kept and studies only by people I trust, and its location will be known only by myself and the researchers. The last thing any of us want is for its infection to spread over--”**

**“So you meant to help me this whole time?”, Yondi’nne cut in, frowning again. “You just sat there and accused me of being irresponsible, naive and creators know what more so you could just…”**

**Yondi’nne’s words died in her mouth as Nylunfar raised one hand to silence her. “You, Inquisitor, are too involved in all of this. None of it would have happened if you hadn’t been sent to spy on the Conclave, if you hadn’t made the decisions you have, and if you hadn’t…” Nylunfar paused to give Yondi’nne a moment to brace herself. “If you hadn’t allowed Fen’Harel so close.”**

**It was Yondi’nne’s turn to look away and bite her lip. Nylunfar carried on in a lower voice: “You are the last person who should be doing this. You should walk away, hide or focus your energy in another task, let someone else take on this burden.”**

**Yondi’nne shook her head and gave a bitter laugh. “And what if I can’t do that?” She turned to face Nylunfar and lifted her chin. “What if I think this is still my business to finish? What if I think that there’s still something that I can do?”**

**“In that case…”, Nylunfar shrugged, “I just needed to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.” Yondi’nne looked at her quizzically. “That you have no regrets.”**

**“None”, Yondi’nne answered firmly.**

**Nylunfar’s lips curled in an honest smile. “Good then.” She picked up her quill again and gestured to Yondi’nne. “Now, I have a few questions about what happened, but I would like to hear your full version first.”**

**“Where should I begin?”, Yondi’nne asked, leaning back in her chair.**

**“From the start. How _did_ Fen’Harel manage to charm everyone so thoroughly that nobody suspected him?” **

**Yondi’nne chuckled humourlessly. “How long do you have?”**

**လ YONDI’NNE လ**

**As soon as the recruit closed the door behind him, Yondi’nne threw herself onto the bed. She was utterly exhausted: not only from the travel, but Nylunfar had kept asking her endless questions about her time with the Inquisition. When Yondi’nne wasn’t able to keep her eyes open anymore, Nylunfar had asked the recruit to take her to her room.**

**“We’ll talk in the morning”, the Commander had said while scribbling on another piece of parchment. A small pile of those were stacked next to her and Yondi’nne vaguely wondered if that woman would still go to sleep that night.**

**Begrudgingly, Yondi’nne got up and sat on the bed. She looked around the room to get her bearings. The tall windows on the wall opposite her bed were open, and the position of the moon in the sky indicated that she had a few hours before dawn crept up. There were fruits, bread and a bottle of what Yondi’nne presumed to be wine on a table next to the windows, but she was too tired to be hungry. Not even the large basin and large towels on the adjacent washroom made her want to get up from the bed. But she had something she needed to do before exhaustion took hold of her.**

**She reached inside her pocket and picked up a small, round box. Inside there was a translucent pink crystal that Yondi’nne rubbed her thumb in circles frantically.**

**“Oh, please, I know you’re up!”, Yondi’nne whispered to the crystal with a pout. When it finally started to glow bright red, she smiled and held it on her open palm.**

**“Oh, I hope you have a good reason to be requiring my attention at this hour!”, a rich male voice spoke in a playful tone.**

**Yondi’nne snorted. “Oh, stop! I bet that you were lying awake in bed with a book open on your lap, Dorian!”**

**The mage sucked his teeth. “Ah, you know me too well… And I also presume that since you didn’t start screaming by now that the Commander has agreed to help us, am I right?”**

**“She has. We’re going to get things ready to leave in a few days.”**

**“That is excellent! So when can I expect you? I will need to get the guest wing prepared for you two and… Oh, gods, you don’t think she will bring that mabari of hers, do you?”**

**“I will ask her”, Yondi’nne said with a chuckle, “But we won’t be going to Tevinter just yet. Nylunfar says she has to settle some things in the South before travelling there.” She quickly added: “She didn’t give me any details, she says it’s best to keep it quiet for now.”**

**“Oh…”, Dorian said awkwardly. After a long silence, he continued tentatively: “That is smart, I suppose. Do try and keep me and Varric informed as much as possible. And don’t forget we’re here to help you in any way we can.”**

**“I know, thank you”, Yondi’nne said, smiling at the crystal. “And how have you been? Any other monsters roaming around Minrathous?”**

**“Just the usual ones”, Dorian spoke with a dramatic sigh. “And those are significantly worse, since we can’t just behead them until they stop talking… But I’m not the one who has met a living legend today. Tell me, what is the Hero of Ferelden like?”**

**“She is… many things”, Yondi’nne said tentatively, “She is strong, intelligent, almost ridiculously beautiful. But she’s a peculiar sort of woman.”**

**“Well, you do tend to attract the peculiar kinds”, Dorian’s words were accompanied by the sound of covers being tousled and a bed creaking, “What shade of peculiar is she?”**

**Yondi’nne was silent for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek and thinking.**

**“I felt like we were playing cards the moment she agreed to talk to me, and she just wants to see if I’ll fold before I learn the rules. She definitely knows more than she lets on, and that I was being tested somehow. It’s like she doesn’t trust me”, Yondi’nne said. “It’s like she wants to make sure she would have the upper hand before she agreed to help us.”**

**“You mean to tell me that the woman who saved Thedas years ago isn’t jumping with joy at the thought of trusting a woman she just met while the world plunges into chaos again? How ungrateful of her!”, Dorian said ironically.**

  
  


**“That’s not what I’m saying!”, Yondi’nne said, feeling her patience hanging by a thread. “And I have just met her, yes, but she knows who I am! And I’m doing something about it, aren’t I? I’m not buried in my fortress, waiting for people to knock on my door, sulking at the state of the world--”**

**“Not anymore, you aren’t”, Dorian cut in gently. With a fresh pang of guilt, Yondi’nne huffed angrily and shut her mouth. “And how have you been?”, he asked in a deceivingly light tone.**

**“I’m good”, she lied and bit her lip at how unconvincing she sounded.**

**“No more dreaming of wolves, I suppose?”, Dorian pried.**

**Yondi’nne felt her eyes prickling, not only from lack of sleep. “No more dreaming”, she tried to sound resolute and again failed miserably.**

**“Excellent! It means that it worked”, Dorian said. Yondi’nne tried to search for the right words, but nothing seemed adequate, so she just laid her head on her pillow and stared at the crystal.**

**“Yondi’nne…”, Dorian began, “If it worked then it’s a good thing, it means things are going according to plan.”**

**She closed her eyes shut to stop herself from crying. “Except it’s not.” Yondi’nne angrily kicked the covers off the bed with a huff. “It’s not good, it’s not going according to plan. If it were, I wouldn’t be here trying to recruit people to stop my former lover from destroying the world , would I?” She rolled in bed to press her head against the pillow and screamed into it. After a while, she lifted her head and blurted: “You know what the worst part is? He was always there, he helped us, he helped everyone. Even Surana thinks that he did it for his own gains, but we know it wasn’t just about that!”**

**“Dinny, we’ve gone through this before: there’s little use in wondering what was going on in his mind all those years ago. Maybe this mission you’re going on with the Commander will help you answer some of them, but honestly…”, Dorian trailed off but Yondi’nne carried on like he hadn’t said anything.**

**“He is coming out of it alive, Dorian, I swear to you”, Yondi’nne spoke through gritted teeth. “He can shove his dinan’shiral bullshit into the Void for all I care, I will grab him by his droopy ears and drag him home if I have to!”**

**“And I’m sure he will be eternally grateful to you. If he doesn’t turn you into a statue first, that is!”, Dorian said matter-of-factly.**

**“Oh, I would love to see him try!”, she yelled, rolling again to stare at the ceiling. “He has some explaining to do, some questions that I need answered! He always loved that, didn’t he? Answering my questions. I want to hear him answer some other, I want to--”Dorian waited in silence while Yondi’nne just laid there, with furrowed brows and lips pursed in a thin line, holding back the next word that would have come out of her mouth. _I want him home._**

**“Yondi’nne, you don’t…”**

**“I think I need to get some sleep, Dorian. I’m tired and I have a big day tomorrow”, Yondi’nne said.**

**Dorian sighed. “As you wish, Dinny. Have a good night.”**

**“You too. And thank you for listening to me.” Dorian’s reply was a low chuckle.**

**Yondi’nne pulled up the covers over her head and put the crystal back in her pocket. It was only after she started sorting that the red glow faded.**

**လ NYLUNFAR လ**

**Nylunfar was still in the balcony of the War Room when dawn broke in the Anderfels, hands clasped behind her back and eyes fixed on the mountains ahead. That first meeting had given her a lot to consider, and each time the Inquisitor answered one of her questions, three other questions popped in her mind.**

**She had removed her pauldrons and her armor and had only her simple mage vests to shield her from the night cold. It didn’t bother her, it actually helped her concentrate and trace her next steps in her mind. If Fen’Harel was working to be always one step ahead of them, perhaps the best move was not trying to catch up, but rather retrace his steps...**

**“Why am I not surprised you didn’t come to bed?”, a soft voice came from behind her that made her lips curl into a smile.**

**She didn’t turn and instead just let her arms hang loose at her sides. With a low chuckle, Zevran walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His body was solid and still warm from sleep, Nylunfar arched her back to lean against him and took his hands in hers.**

**“So how was the talk with the Inquisitor of Thedas, my love?”, Zevran asked, resting his head on hers and looking out into the desert.**

**“Lavellan…”, Nylunfar began, unsure of what she would say. “She oddly reminded me of Alistair, if you can believe that.” Zevran let out a huff of disbelief and Nylunfar shrugged. “She came in here all smiles and niceness, but as soon as I pressured her, there’s a sharpness there that eludes you at first. She is… not what I expected.”**

**“But in a positive way, I take it?”, Zeran asked and Nylunfar nodded. “That is excellent, then! Now, my love, you have someone to help you putting the pieces to**

**Morrigan! Nylunfar shut her eyes and tried not to think of her friend alone, unprotected, somewhere she couldn’t reach. And what had happened to Kieran? Lavellan had said that they had left Skyhold years ago, but her letters made it sound like she was still in someone’s service. And when was the last time Nylunfar had written back?**

**Zevran tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and gently kissed her cheek, before resting his chin on her shoulder.**

**“My love, did you tell the Inquisitor about the lyrium idol?”**

**Although she was glad to have something else to think about, Nylunfar still inhaled loudly. “I told her what she needed to know: that Fen’Harel has the idol and that I need it if I intend to find a cure for the taint.” Zevran opened his mouth but Nylunfar cut in and answered his question before he asked it. “No, I didn’t tell her what we think he is planning to do with nor where he has taken it.”**

**Zevran shrugged and held her closer. “At least she can’t accuse you of lying.”**

**“How _very_ noble of me...”, Nylunfar said with a scoff.**

**He lightly bit her exposed ear, and Nylunfar yelped in surprise. In return, she giggled and pinched his arm, but he bent her forward and held both her wrists in a swift move. She tried to throw him off balance by pushing on his foot with hers, but Zevran locked his knee on her leg before she could do anything. Immobilised and pressed against the railing of the balcony, Nylunfar laughed and yielded, letting her body go limp against his.**

**She turned her head to look at him, and spite his lascivious smile, there was a sadness in Zevran’s eyes that made her heart clench.**

**“I was wondering, my love”, he began, unprompted, “I don’t think Fen’Harel will be parted from his idol willingly after all the trouble he went through to acquire it.”**

**“Then I guess I will have to pry it from his cold dead hands”, Nylunfar said with a shrug and a wicked smile. Zevran furrowed his brows.**

**“So you are really intent on killing a god, my love?” Nylunfar felt Zevran trembling when he spoke, so she straightened her back and looked him in the eye.**

**“It won’t be the first time. And besides, if a god proclaims his mortality, then in my book he is practically asking people to put it to the test, would you agree?”**

**Zevran let out a breathy laugh and kissed her forehead. “Oh, well… If there’s anyone in Thedas who I believe would kill a god, that person is you, my love.”**

**Nylunfar kissed him more forcefully than she intended to, with both gratitude and fear. They watched the sun rise, locked together in a silent embrace, enjoying the calmness that certainly preceded chaos.**

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> -The description of Weisshaupt Fortress was based on the photos of DA4 shown in the behind the scenes trailer  
> -Although it's explicited that the Hero of Ferelden is actively trying to find a cure for the taint, the association with the red lyrium idol is my head canon  
> -The monster Dorian refers to is the Cekorax, from "Luck in the Gardens", the fifth story in Tevinter Nights


End file.
